Inheritance

Chapter 2: Pollyanna

Kori noticed her charge's teeth were bloody as was his arm after she had asked him the question and wished he would stop that disgusting behavior, but no matter how hard she tried to get him to stop, he never could.

"Eory." Kori said his name threateningly. "Answer me. Why is your room a mess?"

The young man's eyes fluttered, and then he came back to reality. "I don't know. I forgot to clean."

His affect and tone of voice were flat which worried her greatly.

"You're acting strangely."

Eory sighed. "Forgive me, Kori. I'll clean up. You're looking fine today. Are you well?" It was his usual greeting with its practiced politeness but this time it sounded fake.

Eory stood up in an unenthusiastic and slow manner not unlike someone waking up from a long sleep and began picking up his room woodenly.

"I am well, but you're not. You're speaking with little vigor." Kori said.

Inwardly, Eory felt irritated and exhausted. Here she goes again—the old biddy...

Outwardly, he quelled her fears. "I'm fine, Kori."

Kori helped the young man pick up his room and raised her eyebrows at the dozens of pictures he had drawn of the old warrior maiden who she had told him stories about since he was first in her care.

She continued to lecture him. "Remember, it's not that your parents had evil feelings it's that they--"

"—had none at all." Eory completed her sentence with a roll of his eyes.

Rain cut through the awkward silence that followed.

Kori's eyes narrowed. She slammed the papers she picked up on the back of the sofa. "Perhaps I have been too lenient with you of late! You know that if you show the least bit sign of evil tendencies that I will have to report it to the king and who knows what he will do to you!"

"I..." Eory began but stopped.

Kori glared intensely at the exhausted youth who sat on the sofa with a dead look on his face after he finished picking up his room.

Kori asked sternly. "Do you want to die?"

Eory looked at the dripping ceiling with a blank face and wished his fantasy beach would come to rescue him.

"I don't know why you kept me alive when you just want me to rot away in this room my entire life..." Eory mumbled sadly. Kori looked down at her feet and tried not to cry at his situation. She couldn't help but love him. He was essentially her child. She felt guilty and eased up on him.

She shook his shoulder. "Do you want another story about Pollyanna?"

"I've heard them all..." Eory replied. And maybe I'm too old for that now...

"No, no. I have more." Kori lied coolly. Half the stories she told about Pollyanna—the legendary guard who was ever dedicated to protecting Eory's family line—were untrue, but Eory believed them all.

Eory turned to Kori with his eyes lighting up. "Truly?"

And his caretaker nodded as she spun a new tale on the spot about the old warrior maiden who was undefeatable in battle but for one time; when she failed to protect Eory's parents.

Eory listened to the tale and it felt like he wasn't locked in a tiny room for a time.

It felt like he was with Pollyanna on her adventure.